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PALE DI SAN MARTINO
CROWN JEWEL OF THE ITALIAN DOLOMITES
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 Aerial view of the Pale di San Martino. The town of San Martino di Castrozza can be seen in the center (slightly to the left) nestled in the valley.
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| The Pale (pronounced "pah-leh") di San Martino, as this famous mountain chain is known, is one of the crown jewels of the Italian Dolomites. The Dolomites began their geological story 300 million years ago, in a shallow and calm ocean. Huge colonies of coral multiplied in enormous numbers until they had created reefs that were more than 1000 meters in height. Once these ancient reefs emerged from the receding sea, they were shaped by the elements into their present, spectacularly chiseled form. The rock's name, Dolomia, was named for its aristocratic discoverer. While on a trip here in 1788, the Marquis Déodat de Dolomieu discovered its unique chemical composition, specifically the double carbonation of calcium and magnesium. The chemical composition of the Pale is known as Dolomia of Sciliar (general translation from the official website for the Tourism Agency for San Martino, Fiera and Vanoi, 2008).
It is this unique composition which gives the Dolomite peaks their famous rose pink color. Every afternoon as the sun begins to set, these much loved mountains begin to "glow" in ever-changing hues of subtle coral,pink and rose. This phenomenon is called the Enrosadira. Visitors often stop in their tracks to gaze in wonder at the "glowing" peaks as twilight descends. The colors are never the same twice and the daily evening spectacle is mesmerizing.
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!  VIDEO: THE PANEVEGGIO PALE DI SAN MARTINO NATIONAL NATURE PARK: A WORLD OF WATER, ROCK AND FORESTS
Video Courtesy of the Azienda di Turismo San Martino, Primiero e Vanoi.
This video, narrated in English, highlights the natural beauty and the fantastic environment of the Italian Dolomites protected in the Panevegio Pale di San Martino National Nature Park.
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 Cimon della Pala seen from the peak of the Rosetta. Photo: Daniela Anderson.
 The Pale di San Martino displaying the Enrosadira Phenomenon. Photo: courtesy of Wikipedia.
Click here for the Wikipedia article on the Italian Dolomites.
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115! VIDEO: GITA SULLE PALE DI SAN MARTINO
This video visually is very descriptive of a nice several-day trek through the Pale di San Martino mountain chain with stops at a few of the well-known rifugi (mountain shelters) that host climbers overnight. Photos of the Baita Segantini (a destination in all of our scenic Alpine vacations) are seen at the beginning of the video.
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